


Mesmerize

by OhMyViolet



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-09 07:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17997398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhMyViolet/pseuds/OhMyViolet
Summary: All she wanted was to escape her past. Ever since she was a young child she was studied to find the source of her powers. Being enlisted to the Apex Games roster seemed like her way out. Is there more to life than running?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kinda just making up my own little world inside the Apex universe, so if any of the lore isn't accurate it's because I'm kinda making up my own.
> 
> If anyone is interested I made my OC in the Sims 4 (I can't draw lol) or just feel free to imagine her yourself, I don't mind. https://imgur.com/a/DxBqc1o

The Apex building was a sight to behold. It was extremely difficult for anyone to walk past without craning their neck upwards to admire the glowing lights and gigantic screen that proudly displayed the current reigning champions. The building itself was probably the tallest in the city and seemed to be made entirely out of glass but somehow it was impossible to see inside. It was rumored one of the most exclusive architects in the galaxy was paid a hefty sum for the design and it showed. It was almost as if the building was created just to remind new arrivals how insignificant they actually were. That was how the newest recruit felt, anyway. The building towered over her small and narrow frame and she was suddenly feeling a hell of a lot more self conscious than before. She knew she didn’t belong here but it’s not like she had much choice in the matter.

A light breeze caused a few strands to come loose from the braid that draped over her shoulder. Her pale fingers scrambled to rectify the problem, tucking the pieces of dark brown hair behind her ear. She eyed her reflection in the glass, scrutinizing her appearance. She should have dressed up. She needed to make a good impression and she was suddenly very aware that her black leather jacket and galaxy printed leggings probably weren’t going to assist in that. The young woman adjusted the straps of her simple black backpack and took a few long, deep breaths. She couldn’t stall this anymore.  
“Well, here goes nothing”, she thought to herself, as she pushed her way through the revolving door.

The inside of the building wasn’t what she was expecting, but the more she thought about it the more she realised she didn’t know what to expect. The lobby was reminiscent of some hotel pictures she’d seen online. Everything was white. White walls, white marble floors, white couches were carefully placed around the room. It took her eyes a moment to adjust. The room was busy as people in white lab coats and dressy suits moved around, rushing to whatever their destination was. None of them really spoke, allowing a strange, almost clinical atmosphere to fill the room. And here she thought she had escaped such an environment.

She slowly walked towards the reception desk, forcing herself to hold her head up, attempting to suppress the feeling of nausea that was welling in her stomach. The woman behind the desk smiled at her as she approached but it didn’t seem very genuine.  
“Hi, I um...I’m here to be registered”, she fiddled with the strap of her bag nervously as she spoke, receiving a raised eyebrow from the receptionist in response.  
“I’m sorry, sweetheart but we’re currently not accepting new applicants”.  
“But...Doctor Dekker said…”.  
The woman looked her up and down before continuing. “You’re... _his_ sponsee?”. She sounded disappointed and almost a little disgusted. “May I see your identification, miss?”.  
The way she placed such emphasis on him made the young woman’s skin crawl. Nobody knew the doctor. Not really. Everyone had so much respect for him and it made her sick. She pulled her ID from her backpack and handed it over, allowing the receptionist to scrutinize over it comparing it to whatever information she had on her computer terminal.  
The woman sighed loudly, before handing the card back.  
“You need to go to the director’s office, 50th floor. You can’t miss it”.

The young woman made her towards the elevator, taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror inside. Her hair still looked pretty windswept, so she tried to fix it as best she could. She smoothed the front of her white hoodie down and adjusted the collar of her jacket. She should have dressed up. The elevator pinged and the doors opened, revealing a grand office. It was decorated with modern furniture, everything was sleek with a white and black colour scheme with the occasional pop of red.

The clicking of high heels on the marble flooring grabbed her attention. A woman, who was dressed to match the colour scheme of the room, approached her with her arms outstretched.  
“Oh, look at you! Welcome my darling, you must be so excited. Welcome, welcome”.  
The woman pulled her into a tight hug, before taking her arm and leading her further into the office.  
“My name is Imelda...This is so exciting, the director doesn't meet all recruits like this, you know. Doctor Dekker speaks so highly of you”.  
There it was again. That name. As much as she wanted to throw up, she kept telling herself she needed to make a good impression. This was her way out. She needed this. Plastering on a bright smile, she said her piece that she had rehearsed a hundred times.  
“Of course. The doctor was so kind to sponsor me. We've been working towards this for a while. It's such an honour to be here, this is my dream”.  
The words felt like sand in her mouth and she hoped they weren't drenched in sarcasm. The woman seemed to buy it, offering her a warm smile.  
“That's so lovely to hear. Come now, we don't want to keep the director waiting”.

After a couple more minutes of walking, and the young woman wondering why anyone would need an office this obnoxiously large they reached a more secluded area of the office where a stern looking man with greying hair sat at a large desk. The women seemed to peak his interest as they approached, his stern expression turning to a bright smile.  
“Ah, finally. I was wondering when I'd get to meet you”, he gestured towards the seat on the other side of the desk. “Sit, sit, we have a lot to discuss. Imelda, fetch the girl a drink would you?”.  
“Oh...um, just water is fine, thank you”, she sat across from the man, trying to keep the smile plastered on her face. It was proving to be a more difficult.  
“So”, the man began, “normally we don't take new recruits this late into the season, but when Doctor Dekker called and offered us you...well...how could we refuse?”.  
She shifted around in her seat, awkwardly. She wasn't used to this kind of attention.  
“I'd like to get your paperwork filled out and get you started in the games as soon as possible”, he added, taking a bundle of papers from somewhere under the desk.  
“I'm Victor Olsen, by the way. I'm the managing director here at the Apex Games”, he gestured to the papers which now sat on his desk. “As you can see, I prefer the old fashioned approach”.  
Imelda appeared back with some fancy glasses and water.  
“Don't worry, I'll log everything into the system later”, she spoke as she poured the drinks, chuckling slightly.

The director picked up his pen and looked across the desk expectantly.  
“Can you confirm your name for me?”  
“Ava. Ava Raines”.  
“Age?”  
“23”.  
“Do you have an alias?”  
The brunette blinked a few times, confusion clouding her previous pleasant expression.  
“My...Was I meant to have one?”  
Victor chuckled, presumably at her innocence or her plain stupidity.  
“As I'm sure you know, most of our competitors have an alias. Not worry though, we can come up with something for you. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself”.  
She froze. She couldn't tell them about her past. Her mind raced trying to think of an answer. She couldn't lie but she couldn't tell the whole truth either. She cleared her throat before taking a deep breath.  
“Um...well, I grew up in the laboratory. For as long as I could remember I had these...powers. Like, I can control things with my mind. I...worked...with Doctor...Dekker m-my whole life. He's sponsored me to be here so he can show me off basically. But...it's stupid but I...would really, really like to meet my family. If...I have one”.  
Imelda placed a hand over her heart.  
“That's so touching”.  
“Yes, yes. The fans will eat it up”, Victor remarked as he scribbled something onto his paper, stroking his chin thoughtfully when he finished.  
“So you're here...to make up for a childhood stolen...to gain revenge against a system that did you wrong”.  
“Um...well not exactly that's not what I…”.  
Victor waved his hand dismissively in her direction, continuing on with his vision.  
“Looking at the file the doctor sent over you seem to have some incredibly interesting powers. The ability to confuse... telekinesis”, he rubbed his hands together before speaking again. “You, my dear will be...Mesmerize”, his eyes glittered as he spoke.  
“That's such a cool name!”, Imelda spoke up, clapping her hands together once. It wasn't cool. It was stupid and didn't even make sense. This whole story was ridiculous.  
“I'm not sure my sponsor will appreciate being the painted as the bad guy”, Ava spoke up, slightly disgusted at herself for sounded like she was trying to stick up for the man.  
“Dekker is an old friend of ours. He knows sometimes the truth has to be bent to get the best results”.  
Ava snorted, involuntarily. Victor was right. The doctor did have a habit of bending the truth to his favour. Her childhood was built on it.

“Now, for the next matter”, Victor announced, turning to his computer. “We don't normally do this, but since your case is so special, we want to give you an advantage over the previous round of new recruits”.  
An advantage? Why an advantage? Did she need one? It wasn't exactly going to look fair, would it?  
“What do you mean by advantage?”, Ava questioned, leaning forward in her seat slightly. She kept trying to remind herself how much she needed this.  
“I'd like to pair you with one of our elite, so to say. A mentor of sorts”.  
Huh. Couldn't hurt to have some insider knowledge.  
“Now who to pair you with”, he continued, using a steadily wrinkling finger to scroll through the list of names on his screen. Imelda hovered near him, shaking or nodding her head whenever he pointed to someone.  
“What about him?”, she eventually pointed to the screen herself.  
Victor scoffed, “That's an idiotic idea, Imelda. We just put him on probation”.  
“Think about it, Sir. Perhaps the responsibility will be good for him. Think of how ratings will be affected if we have to let the fan favourite go”.  
Victor considered her words for a moment before nodding in agreement.  
“Come then. Let us make our introductions”.

Imelda and Victor lead her back through the office and into the elevator. She fidgeted with the zip on her jacket. She was nervous. They hadn't told her who her mentor was yet. Exiting the elevator, they made their way down a spacious, white corridor, occasionally stopping for either Imelda or Victor to point out the different rooms, most of which like the private pool or spa room was was limited access to legends only.  
“Here we are”, Victor announced as they approached the end of the hallway. “This is our state of the art training facility, complete with any gym or weapon equipment you could ever desire”.  
A small gasp escaped her throat as she was ushered into the training room. The high ceilings and large windows, made it feel as though they were outdoors. The front of the room was being used by some patrons for combat training, the padded floors providing a safe surface for them to try out their moves. A raised platform in the back was a fully equipped gym. A sign on the wall pointed behind all the equipment to a gun range.

Ava spotted a few familiar faces working out on the equipment, faces she'd only ever saw on posters or TV before this. One woman, who she believed was called Bangalore, was effortlessly lifting an enormous weight bar over her head, while a smaller girl, Lifeline, cheered her on.  
“Why don't you go the locker room, over there. Have you got some training clothes with you?”, Imelda asked, glancing at the modest backpack perched on the girl's shoulders.  
Ava simply nodded, before heading in the direction she was pointed in. Her stomach did a flip as she walked away, she wasn't expecting to get started so soon.

Victor gave Imelda a respectful nod, after the younger woman had left. He would like to think he knew his legends fairly well and he knew this conversation would not go smoothly. Both of them wore their best smiles, as they approached their charge who was perched on top of a crate at the edge of the room, a bottle of water in one hand and a hefty looking dumbbell in the other.  
“Elliott!”, Victor exclaimed as they approached, “How is my favourite superstar today?”.  
The younger man laughed at the comment, “Wow, if I'm the favourite I don't even wanna know how everyone else gets treated”. The comment was laced with sarcasm, something Victor immediately picked up on. He cocked an eyebrow towards the trickster, who was smirking down at him from his position on the crate. Imelda audibly cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable.  
“Come here, I want to discuss your...situation”, the greying man, beckoned for the other to come down. The statement peaked his attention, causing him to immediately hop down from his sitting arrangement. Victor raised an eyebrow at the bottle of water Elliott was clinging to.  
“I hope that water is because you've been training hard and not because of something else”.  
Elliott fidgeted with the cap of the bottle, while he looked around the room before deciding it was safe to speak.  
“Is this about my probation?”  
“Actually, yes”. Victor considered his words carefully before continuing. “We've enlisted a new recruit. Someone who I'm sure will be a valuable asset to us. And to you”.  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Elliott asked cautiously, his free hand moving to slick his curls back and away from his face.  
“You'll mentor her and-”.  
Elliott laughed but there was no joy behind it and offered a simple “no”, in response.  
“I don't think you understand how serious your situation is, Mr Witt”.  
“I understand it just fine, Vic. But I also understand you can't just change the terms of my probation whenever you feel like it”.  
Victor leaned closer so he was mere inches from the other man's face.  
“I'll have you know I am the director here, I can do as I please. You are going to train that girl, and make her into a respectable member of this organisation. It's about time you took on some responsibility, I will not stand by and watch you make a mockery of this anymore. Do I make myself clear?”.  
Elliott mumbled something that sounded like a “Yes Sir”, his eyes drifted to the floor, his fingers tightened around the neck of the bottle.

Victor took in a breath, as if preparing to say something else but his attention was soon taken away from Elliott and was drawn to the sound of gentle footsteps approaching.  
“Ah, here she is”.  
Elliott's brown eyes were met by a pair of bright blue saucers, which quickly looked away. She was about a foot smaller than him, and he could tell she was trying to disguise how terrified she was. Her fingers gripped the cuffs of her pink training jacket tightly, causing the fabric to slip over her hands, disguising her palms. Her lips looked bitten and sore, and those blue eyes were now pointed firmly to the ground, probably observing the scuff marks and and occasional spec of blood that clung to the gym mats under her feet. The four of them stood in some sort of a circle but nobody was speaking. Elliott couldn't stop his eyes from drifting back to the girl's face. Sure, she was pretty, but what struck him the most was how young she looked. Her face seemed too innocent to be here, but when her eyes finally pulled away from the floor and looked back into his, all he could see was pain and fear. Something told him those eyes had seen things they shouldn't have and her gaze made him feel cold because of it.

Elliott cleared his throat to speak, one hand absentmindedly moving to soothe the goosebumps on his arm.  
“You...uh...you never said I'd be training a kid”.  
The girl’s nose wrinkled at the comment, the freckles lining her nose and cheeks disturbed by the movement.  
“I'm not a kid, I'm 23”.  
“Same difference”.  
“Well, I can just tell you two are going to get along swimmingly”, Victor placed a hand on each of their shoulders, a smile plastered across his face that was too wide to be genuine. “Elliott meet Ava, Mirage meet Mesmerize”. Ava bristled just slightly at the name. She should've come more prepared.  
“We should get back to work, Sir”, Imelda spoke up. She had been too quiet this whole time. Victor nodded and clasped his hands behind his back.  
“We'll leave you both to it then. I look forward to seeing your excellence in the ring tomorrow”.

Ava's stomach began to do somersaults. Did he say tomorrow? Tomorrow?! Elliott casually passed the water bottle from one hand to other before speaking up.  
“Do you know how to shoot?”.  
“Yes”.  
“Great! Shooting range is over there. I'll catch up with you later I need to...figure some st-stuff out”.  
Ava watched as her mentor hastily made his way across the room, stopping when he came to a large man whose dark hair was tied tightly on top of his head. She knew she'd him before but couldn't quite remember his name. She watched them for a moment, Mirage was obviously upset about something, his mouth moving at speed while the other man listened intently. He was probably complaining about her. Walking towards the shooting range felt like an eternity. How was she meant to be ready for a game tomorrow?

The shooting hall was filled with every weapon you could possibly find in the ring. She ran her hands over the cool metal surface of a spitfire. Most of the training she received in the lab was close range combat, so it couldn’t hurt to work on her long range right? She carefully lifted the gun from the rack, staggering a bit with the weight. The hilt of the gun nestled snugly against her shoulder. Her vision began to blur as she lined up her shot, the spitfire slowly materialized into a shotgun, the metal flooring under her feet turned to grass. Her breath turned ragged in her throat and she felt a pair of large hands on her shoulders.  
_“Breathe in, breathe out. Just like we practiced. You’re such a good girl, Ava”._  
The smell of chemicals and cigars filled her nostrils. Her body began to shake as the white sleeve of a lab coat squeezed down harder on her shoulder.  
_“Such a good girl”._

A sudden pressure on her scalp pulled her back to reality. Her eyes refocused to see Elliott standing in front of her, gently tugging on the end of her braid.  
“Ding dong, hello? Anybody home?”  
She instinctively took a step back from him, her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty.  
“Y-yeah I’m here, I’m f-fine”, she spluttered, moving to place the gun back on the rack. Elliott watched her carefully as she did so, trying to choose his words before he spoke. Something he didn’t do too often.  
“How’s the training going?”  
“Good”.  
“Really? ‘cause I’m pretty sure you’ve been staring at the wall the last ten minutes. Didn't you hear me call you?”.  
Ava wished the floor would just open and swallow her whole. She wiped her sweaty palms on her black workout pants.  
“You ok?”, he persisted. She felt herself begin to sweat more, her head was swimming making her dizzy.  
“Don’t pass out, don’t pass out”, she kept thinking. “You’ve embarrassed yourself enough already”.  
Elliott looked at her steadily paling face with some concern, offering her his bottle of water. He gestured for them to sit on the ground, the cool surface of the metal floor offering respite to the rising temperature of her body. They sat in silence, as she gulped down the water, the only sound in the room was her heavy breathing and the occasional sound of Elliott cracking his knuckles.  
“Thanks...I feel a little better now”, she said softly, passing the bottle back to him.  
“Good”, he said, as he hauled himself off the ground, brushing his curls out of his face as he did so. “Now you wanna learn how to shoot that thing, or what?”.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

The next couple of hours seemed to last a decade. Elliott had perched himself on a nearby supply bin and simply watched as his mentee fired at the moving targets on the other end of the range. Sometimes the shots would hit straight in the middle, other times they would sail completely wide, which would cause the young woman to huff out breaths of frustration. Occasionally, he would suggest trying to a different weapon or a more effective way of aiming, even jumping down at one point to adjust her arms and posture himself. He had not told her anything about the games themselves, which worried her but the pit of nerves in her stomach stopped her from asking.

A high pitched beeping noise startled her, causing another shot to sail wide. Elliott raised an eyebrow at her before touching a couple of buttons on the communication device on his wrist, before emitting a sigh.   
“That was upstairs”, he began. He ran a hand through his hair, and she couldn't help but notice how his curls somehow managed to stay perfectly intact as they were ruffled around.   
“Looks like we're off-official…”, he paused noticing his stammer was making an appearance. He glanced towards Ava, to his relief, had not seemed to notice and was now taking a peacekeeper off the rack, feeling it's weight. He placed his hands on his hips and took a long, deep breath as if trying to center himself before trying again.   
“So, we’re officially a team, now”.   
“I’m sure you’re just delighted”, she replied sharply. She’d said the words before thinking, a sense of regret began to settle in her stomach. She’d only been around the man for a few hours and she had already decided she didn’t like him. The Apex Games was supposed to be her way out. If they had no reason to keep her here she’d most definitely be sent back to the lab and she couldn’t stand the thought of that. She’d rather die than go back to him.  
Elliott was quiet for a few moments, momentarily stunned by the sudden change in her personality.   
“Ha, yeah. Delighted that I’m gonna have to carry your ass”.

Ava bit the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to retaliate. Her grip tightened on the shotgun’s barrel and eventually on the trigger, allowing a loud bang to bounce off the walls as the target shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Elliott jumped slightly as the wood clanged against the metal floor. The room fell eerily silent after that, the tension making him uncomfortable. He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly.  
“Look, I’m just gonna go. Feel free to use...whatever”.  
She heard the door click shut behind her, the sound tipping her over the edge. She angrily unloaded the gun, tossing the empty shells aside before throwing the peacekeeper to the ground so hard the room could have shook. Her mind began to race and she kicked the wall repeatedly out of frustration.

Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him. Why did it have to be him? Out of all the people they could have paired her with, why him? Had she not been punished enough, without her one beacon of hope being snuffed out by some idiot with nice hair? She was going to march back upstairs and tell Victor he could get fucked if he thought she was going to put up with this anymore. She didn’t care how her complaint would affect the precious legend. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as she was consumed by rage. She wasn’t going to go back to the lab, she’d tell them, she wasn’t going to.  
She almost ripped the door off its hinges but was instantly stopped in her tracks when she collided with something hard. The impact caused her to topple backwards, but a strong grip on her forearm allowed her to steady herself before she totally lost her balance.   
“You alright?”  
She looked up, realising she has just bumped into the two women she saw working out earlier, the larger of the two releasing the grip on her arm. She was tall and muscular, and the bundle of tight curls on top of her head only made her appear taller. The other woman was a lot shorter, her red hair was scraped back into two buns that rested on either side of her side. Bangalore and Lifeline. What was with everyone and having nice hair around here?

Ava nodded dumbly, feeling a little intimidated.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks and um...sorry I didn’t see you guys”.  
“I don’t think I’ve shot you before”, Bangalore said, in a matter of fact kind of way which got a small chuckle from her companion.  
“Yeah, I think I’d remember a face that looks like that”, the smaller woman added, a joking tone to her voice.   
“I pretty much just started today”, Ava admitted, recieving nods from the two women.   
“How’s it goin’ for ya?”, Lifeline asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked her over. She didn’t seem like someone she should be worried about but she had learned never to underestimate anyone in the ring.   
“Well...um”, was all Ava managed to get out. If she was smart, she could use this as an opportunity to learn something but she was unsure of the relationship between the legends. If these two were hanging out together that must mean they were friends right? What if they were friends of Elliott’s and they might tell him she was speaking poorly of him. As much as she didn’t like him, she may end up depending on him for something down the line. Maybe she could convince one of them to mentor her instead?

She took a deep breath and couldn’t help herself from letting it all spill out.  
“Well, I showed up at the front door about four hours ago. I had this weird meeting with the managing director where he pretty much made up a name and backstory for me. Then he assigned me this stupid mentor who, as far as I can understand, is meant to be showing me the ropes but he’s barely spoken to me since I got here and then he pretty much left because I assume he got bored. And I have my first game tomorrow and I literally don’t know anything so, y’know I’d say my first day has been great”.   
“Oh, I like you”, Lifeline smirked at her when she’d finished her rant. “You don’t hold back, respect”.   
Ava felt her cheeks begin to heat up. Maybe she should have said nothing. Before she had time to dwell on it further, the redheaded woman was holding out a hand to her, which she shook firmly.   
“I’m Ajay by the way. Or Lifeline in the ring. This is Anita, AKA Bangalore”.   
“Ava...Also Mesmerize”.

Ajay smiled warmly at her, before beckoning for the two women to follow her out of the gun range. The three of them sat on the edge of the gym’s raised platform, letting their legs dangle over the side.   
“So who’s this mentor?”, Anita asked. She seemed all business. Ava let out a sigh. She already dug herself a hole, may as well lie in it.  
“Ell...er...Mirage”.   
Anita let out a small laugh. “Now that’s just cruel”.   
“He’s not that bad”, Ajay spoke up. “Just bad timing”.   
“Why?”, Ava couldn’t resist the urge to pry.   
The small woman just shrugged. “Dunno, he just been off with everybody last couple of weeks”.   
Ava let out another sigh, but it was more frustrated this time, which didn’t go unnoticed by Anita. Her years in the armed forces taught her to be perceptive.   
“Is there anything you want to know?”, she asked, much to Ava’s surprise and delight but, she quickly grew suspicious.   
“You want to help me?”  
“Ain’t no challenge if the fight ain’t fair”.

Ava considered her options. She had a lot of questions.   
“What happens tomorrow?”.  
“Think of tomorrow and the games after as a training exercise. The ring moves faster, shouldn't last more than a couple of hours”, Anita answered, reaching over to grab a dumbbell off a nearby rack, as if she couldn't resist the urge to work out.   
Noticing the confused look on the newbies face, Ajay took it upon herself to elaborate.  
“See, the big game is at the end of the season. That one lasts a few days. The smaller games aren't on TV so feel free to mess up a little”.  
“But not too much”, Anita added. “There's still cameras so any major screw ups can still end up online”.   
“Use tomorrow as a chance to get noticed by the overheads. Show off your skills an that”, Ajay continued, before turning to Ava, a smile on her face. “Speakin’ of which...what can you do?”.   
“You'll have to find out in the ring”, she answered, coyly. Ava liked the two women, especially Ajay. The girl had a warm energy about her, allowing her to feel at ease for the first time since she entered the building.

“You should get some rest before tomorrow”, Anita said, hopping down off the ledge. “We all should”.   
A sudden realisation dawned on Ava, causing a heat to rush to her cheeks.   
“I don't even know where I'm meant to be staying”, she groaned. The two women surely thought she was an idiot.   
“You didn't get a message to your comm?”, Ajay questioned, looking down at the girl's bare wrist. “You even get one?”.  
“No?”, Ava's blush grew deeper. They definitely thought she was an idiot. “Is that the watch thingy?”  
Anita rubbed a hand over her forehead, letting out a sigh. “Musta been another thing Elliott...forgot”.   
“Don't worry, Mez. We'll sort this, Annie's got her way of getting what she wants”, Ajay gave the larger woman a playful shove, receiving a smirk and an eye roll in response.

It didn't take long for Ava to acquire all the information she needed, with the help of Ajay and Anita. Before she knew it she was collapsing back on her new bed, exhausted. The residential building was situated behind the main building, in an attempt to provide the contestants with some privacy. Ajay had told her the upper floors were reserved for legends or other people worth noticing, and was made up of lavish, penthouses. Ava was assigned to the lower floors, which she had learned was dubbed “the barracks”. Anita spoke fondly of her time in the barracks on the walk over, reminiscing about when she first got here. It was hard to imagine either of them being the new girl and struggling to get their bearings. They probably came prepared.

The room itself wasn't terrible. The furnishings were minimal but it had the essentials, which was all she really needed. She dragged herself off the bed, which was tucked in the corner of the room and made her way across the small kitchen and sitting area, into the bathroom. She desperately needed a shower. She probably reeked the whole time she was speaking to Anita and Ajay. She liked them, but the pang of despair in her chest told her not to get her hopes up. They were legends, they were important and she was nobody. Why would they ever want to be friends with her? The warm water provided her with some comfort, as she thought about what may happen the next day. She couldn't mess this up.

The next morning seemed to arrive too quickly. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, absentmindedly pulling her hair into her typical side braid. She’d been doing her hair like this for years, she could probably do it in her sleep if she tried. She couldn’t stop thinking about the clothes that were laid out on her bed, if you could call them that. The doctor had arranged everything she’d need to come here, including her suit. Her outfit for the day, and presumably the rest of her time here simply consisted of a black jumpsuit, with long sleeves and short legs, with a tactical belt that would wrap around her waist and thighs, presumably to be used to holster weapons. He had told her it was “practical and would allow free movement”. She shuddered at the thought of what else could have been going through his mind when he designed it.

She stood over the bed looking down at the garment. She couldn’t possibly wear it, she’d die of embarrassment before anyone even had a chance to shoot a bullet at her. She riffled through her backpack for anything else she could wear, pulling out a pair of orange leggings, a navy camo print body warmer and the small amount of makeup she was allowed to have. She pulled the leggings over her legs, opting to wear the suit over it. It would be stupid not to wear it at all as it was probably the only part of her outfit that would offer any protection. She pulled the body warmer on, before rushing to the bathroom again, taking her makeup with her. The doctor had often shown his distaste for it which only encouraged her to go wild, painting her eyelids with vibrant shades of orange and yellow.

She felt a little bit better as she made her towards the team rooms. Ajay had told her where to go, informing her each team had their own room which contained a pod for each member. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat excited. She’d never seen a simulation pod before or had any experience with simulations at all. She eventually found the room she was assigned to, after some difficulty since they all looked the same. The room had a clinical feel to it. Both the floors and walls were white and the only thing in the room was a long white table against one wall and what she assumed were the three pods on the other. There was no sign of Elliott, which at this point didn’t surprise her, but there was someone else. The person leaning up against the table was like nothing she’d ever seen before. They stood with their arms folded, only tilting their head slightly when they heard her approach. She couldn’t tell what their first impression of her might have been since their face was covered by, what she could only describe as, a large gas mask. She could see her reflexion in the circular lenses where she assumed their eyes would be.

“Um...hi”, she said, the feeling of relief she felt earlier was quickly diminished. She got a simple “hello” in response, slightly surprised by how gentle their voice sounded. She was expecting something much scarier.   
“I’m Ava...err, well Mesmerize I guess. I’m guessing we’re on a team”. If she could smack herself in the face, she would. Why else would they be here if they weren’t on her team? Just another person to add to the steadily forming list of people who thought she was an idiot.   
“You are correct”, they said calmly. “I assume our third member is merely running late”. She couldn’t tell for sure but she swore she heard a tint of annoyance in their voice.   
“Mirage?”  
“Yes”.   
So she was in the right room.

There was something intriguing about her new squad mate. She’d never met anyone who made her feel both calm and terrified at the same time. Her hand moved to fidget with the end of her braid, suddenly feeling awkward. Should she keep talking? What if they didn’t want to talk? They didn’t seem like the talkative type. After what seemed like forever, they spoke up again, surprising her.   
“Mirage is your mentor”.  
“How do you know that?”  
They didn’t answer, instead moving their attention to the lights hanging from the ceiling, where a large black bird was perched watching them. They extended their arm and received an instant response from the animal, gliding down to rest on their arm. They stroked the bird with their free hand.  
“Mirage has been a member of my squad for some time. He has never disappointed me. However I fear his habits may get the better of him. It would be a great shame”.   
Ava’s brow furrowed in confusion. She didn’t want to admit it but she had no idea what they were talking about or why they were telling her this. She couldn’t tell how they were reacting to her silence because of the stupid mask. Were they waiting for her to confirm or deny what they just said? She didn’t know anything.   
“Who are you?”, she realised she should have asked this sooner.   
“You may call me Bloodhound”.   
“Is that your...um...name or y’know...your other name?”  
She heard what sounded like a puff of air escape their mask. Were they laughing at her?

“Hope I’m not interrupting”. The sound of the door sliding open grabbed both of their attention.   
“You are late”, Bloodhound pointed out as Elliott stepped into the room, fully decked out in his ring attire.   
“I thought your gods didn’t believe in time”, he quipped, throwing the empty water bottle he was carrying onto the table. “Besides, I had to do my hair. Nothing wrong with looking good in the ring”.   
Ava scoffed at the remark. He wasn’t wrong, even she couldn’t stop herself from acknowledging that he looked good. She mentally berated herself for the thought, reminding herself she was mad at him.   
“It is time”, Bloodhound announced, making their way towards one of the pods. Ava stepped inside the one next to them. As soon as her back touched the cushioned inside, the machine tilted backwards, so she lay at a slight angle. A transparent cover appeared from somewhere behind the machine, slotting itself into place in front of her, sealing her in. She felt a pool of panic begin to settle in her chest as she suddenly became hyper aware of the small space she was in. before she had time to think about it further, she began to feel drowsy, her vision filled with a bright light before steadily fading to black.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The next thing she knew she was in some some kind of aircraft, surrounded by people the sound of multiple conversations happening at once. Her heart pounded in her chest and her body began to flush with heat as she made an attempt to pull herself through the crowd. Before she had time to react, a hand reached through a group of people and gripped her wrist tightly, dragging her through the crowd causing her to trip over her own feet as well as everyone else's. Elliott pulled towards him until her face was flush with his chest.   
“Tryin’ to run away from me already, huh?”, he grinned down at her and despite her prior feelings towards him, she couldn’t help but smile back.

He seemed to be in a better mood than the day in the gun range and had a totally different aura about him. He held his shoulders back confidently which exposed his almost perfect physique. She didn’t even mind when he wrapped his arm around her waist and swung her around so she was situated between himself and Bloodhound. She did mind, however, the envious stares she was receiving from multiple men and women around the ship.

“Where you want to drop?”, Elliott turned to Bloodhound, as the rear of the ship began to open up, revealing the landscape below. Wind ripped through the area causing a high pitched whooshing sound to ring in everyone's ears. Ava looked between the two legends as they shouted at each other over the noise, as more and more groups jumped from the vehicle.  
“Somewhere quiet”, they suggested.   
Mirage had been a teammate of Bloodhound's for some time now and this suggestion was completely out of character.  
“We need kills. If we just…”.  
“We are about to pass the water treatment”, they interrupted, moving towards the exit. “Come”.  
Mirage sighed dramatically. “All right but I don't know how we're meant to show off to anyone there. Ava won't get to show off her amazing shooting skills”.   
She wasn't sure if he was joking or not.  
“She will have her time”.

Her stomach did a flip when she looked down at the world below her. Mirage pulled his goggles over his eyes, the movement allowing his curls to fall down and caress his cheek. Bloodhound turned their head slightly to check on their raven. After that the three of them just...jumped. She'd never felt anything like this before. The way the wind whipped around her face, the way her stomach did flips, the way her body just felt so weightless, it didn't even feel like she had a jetpack strapped onto her. It was all wildly exhilarating.

Her legs felt like jelly when they touched the ground, she couldn't help stumbling over slightly. She grabbed onto something firm to steady herself which she later realised was Bloodhound's arm.   
“Oh...s-sorry”.   
But they did not seem to mind.  
“The ring will begin to close soon. We must collect what we can”.   
As the moved towards the buildings, her nostrils were filled with an overwhelming stench. She covered her nose with her hands as she walked.  
“Ugh what is that?!”.  
Bloodhound simply gestured towards the pits of murky, green water.   
“Gross”.

The hunter split away from her when they approached a series of doors, opting to enter the building as far away from her as possible. Presumably so they wouldn't have to split their gear. Presumably. She wandered into the closest building. Although she hadn’t seen anyone landing here before them, she couldn’t escape the nagging feeling she was being watched. She hated that feeling. Whenever she felt like this in the lab she knew something bad was about to happen. It was always him that was watching her.

The loot this building had to offer was scarce to say the least. She hadn’t seen Mirage since they landed so it was unlikely he had already looted the place. She always did have bad luck. Downstairs had plenty of ammo but no weapons, so she headed upstairs just to find the same.   
“Ugh, seriously?”.   
The sound of footsteps outside brought her some hope. Maybe Mirage or Bloodhound found something she could use. Her first game was off to an incredible start. She made her way back down the stairs and back towards the door she came in. Probably wasn’t the best idea to leave it open. She stepped outside and took a look around, the awful smell filling her nostrils again and making her gag.   
“Bloodhound? Mirage? Have you…”.

She almost threw up when she rounded the corner only to crash into a man much taller than her, one she didn’t recognise. Acting on instant, she grabbed the barrel of the man’s shotgun and forced it upwards as he pulled the trigger, causing the shot to soar into the air. The pair scuffled over the weapon for a few moments, until the man used a surge of energy to throw her against the wall, pinning her to it with one strong arm across her throat, while the other delivered a swift blow to her stomach. Adrenaline began following through her veins providing her muscles with enough strength to fight against his grip, despite being winded from the punch. She drove her knee between the man’s legs, with all the power she could muster. He cried out in pain, giving her the opportunity to escape his grasp and retreat back into the building she originally came from.

“You little bitch”, her pursuer bellowed, lining up another shot as she bolted back into the room. She managed to close the door just in time, feeling it tremble with the impact of the shot. She darted to the other side of the room and out a back door, quickly looking around for any routes of escape. She could see Mirage in the distance, sprinting towards a supply bin and decided that he was her best chance at survival. Before she could move she was forcibly grabbed again, this time by the wrist and pulled behind a corner. Another arm wrapped around her waist and the grip on her wrist was transferred over her mouth.   
“Shhh...Stop it Ava, quiet”.  
She struggled and did her best to scream out but her cries were muffled. She knew no one would hear her. No one ever heard her.

She continued to fight against the grasp, her pleas for help now turning to full on sobs. The area no longer reeked of dirty water and algae but of cigars and that wretched chemical smell. She could feel the scratchy fabric of the lab coat against her skin, as his grip tightened on her waist.  
“Be quiet, Ava. Please”.   
The voice in her ears sounded distant, slowly becoming distorted and pounding inside her head. But she could still hear it. The way it bounced off the laboratory walls made her skin crawl, bile rising in her throat. It was almost like an incantation. One she heard too many times before.

“Be quiet, Ava. Good girls don’t cry like this. You don’t want them to hear this, do you? What would everyone say? You’re a good girl, hush now”.

She hated it. Hated him. Hated how it felt. Hated the lab. She was angry. She felt sick, humiliated, ashamed. Everyone admired the doctor. Even here, she couldn’t escape him. The longer he held her here like this, with his arm around her and his sweaty hand over her mouth, made her angrier. She couldn’t help it, he needed to pay. Her body began to tremble, as every part of being was now surging with anger. She could still feel him behind her, pressing his body against hers. She stomped down as hard as she could on his foot, causing his grip to loosen on her waist. She moved quickly, spinning herself around and channelling all her strength into her fist and without a moment’s hesitation, punched him straight in the face.

That’s when the merky stench came back. Her vision was spotted at first, as if she hadn’t been exposed to daylight in a year. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust, fully expecting to see the doctor in front of her. But he wasn’t there.   
“What the fuck is your problem?”, Mirage huffed at her. He sat in a heap on the ground, the sleeve of his suit rapidly being to turn a vibrant shade of red, as he nursed his now bloodied nose.   
“Elliott?!”, her voice was filled with genuine surprise, the confusion beginning to make her head hurt. “What are you…”.

“There she is!”, a voice called out from somewhere nearby, soon followed by a herd of heavy footsteps moving in their direction.   
“Shit, we need to go”, Ava’s voice trembled as she spoke. She reached out to Mirage to help him up but her hand was promptly swatted away.   
“I think you’ve helped me enough today”, he muttered, hauling himself to his feet and pulling out his wingman.

Ava gasped for air, as her pod opened up, signalling her return to reality. Her hand quickly flew to her chest but there was no injury, just some strange phantom pain. She was shot almost instantly by the man who attacked her earlier, who had returned with his squad. Mirage had fired some shots but was inevitably overwhelmed. His pod opened soon after hers and he stepped out, with a fire in his eyes as he stared her down.   
“What the hell was that? First you don’t listen to my callouts, then you turn on me? Are you crazy or something?”.   
“What callouts? I was on my own the whole time!”.   
“I told you that guy was going towards you and you ran into him anyway! Was your comm stuck up your ass or somethin’?”.  
“Oh you mean the comm you forgot to give to me?”, she held up her empty wrist, feeling somewhat triumphant. “If it wasn’t for Anita and Ajay, I wouldn’t even be here”.   
“Well maybe stay at home next time. I like my face and would like to keep it intact”.   
“It must be your only redeeming quality”.  
“Ok, y-you l-listen here”, he looked like he was about to say something else, until his eyes became severely unfocused. He took a step back from her and she notice his hands were suddenly, violently shaking.   
“Are you...alright?”

The hiss of Bloodhound’s pod opening, stopped him from answering. The tracker stepped out nonchalantly, their feathered companion soon following.   
“I went to your location when I heard the shooting. I apologise for failing you both”.   
Bloodhound’s attention was drawn to Elliott as they spoke, who was now a shaking, sweaty mess.  
“Elliott, do not-”.  
“I’m going home”, he blurted out, interrupting them, he was already on his way out the door as he spoke.   
Bloodhound appeared to shake their head slightly, but Ava, again, was unable to tell their expression. Elliott was really starting to get on her nerves. He made no sense. One minute he acted like he hated her guts and the next he was kind of sweet and charming. She didn’t get it. Why did she even care? She didn’t need Elliott to like her. She just needed someone to tell her how to be good at these stupid games so she wouldn’t get sent back to the lab. She thought back to what happened during the game, and how she somehow managed to mistake Elliott for Dekker. She rubbed her forehead in frustration. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.

“You appear troubled”, Bloodhound commented. It still surprised her how gentle they sounded.   
“I’m just...thinking”.  
“Are you disappointed in your performance?”.  
“Are you disappointed in my performance?”, she meant it as a joke but, her voice quivered slightly. She was disappointed but mostly she was just scared. A lot was riding on her doing well but she was not about to start crying in front of one of her teammates. Again.   
“I could provide you with some extra training before our next game, if you wish”.   
Ava couldn’t help but be surprised by the offer. Although she’d only known them for a few short hours, she had pegged Bloodhound as the loner type.   
“That would be...amazing. Yes, thank you”.   
Bloodhound beckoned for their raven to follow them as they approached the exit.  
“I will meet you in the training room at sunrise. Do not be late”.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really struggled writing this chapter and I'm not sure why. Let me know what you think, I'd appreciate the constructive feedback.


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